A Can of Worms
Artist and writer Huang Yongyu is one of China’s most famous cultural figures of the last half-century. He was a professor at the Central Art Academy, and became one of the principal targets of the Cultural Revolution. Huang was incarcerated in a makeshift prison referred to as ox-pens since the prisoners were called, in Mao's terms, "ox-demons" and "snake-spirits." He was later exiled to the countryside.
"A Can of Worms" is a collection of aphorisms and witty lines that Huang distributed among his friends; some of the writings made humorous use of Party jargon. In the summer of 1966, these private writings were declared to be counter-revolutionary. Huang was criticized, denounced in public meetings, and severely beaten.
Tadpoles: A flash in the pond.
The Bat: You're okay; he's also okay. You're right; he's right. And the best of health to me.
The Moth: Take my advice and don't ever mistake an oil-lamp for the sun.
The Gecko: I have a three-dimensional outlook about people.
The Tortoise:
Aesop said it all:
I'm the unquestioned
victor.
The Dinosaur: I'm the only reality in all your myths.
The Monkey: No matter how hard I try to be serious, people always
think I'm monkeying around.
The Mill Donkey: My travails get me nowhere.
The Snake: They say the way ahead is a twisted path; that's why I have such a supple body.
The Angler Fish: Come all ye sinners: the doors of this church are always open to you.
The Tiger: All this talk about "paper tigers" makes me want to change my name.
The Magpie: People don't care about a bit of noise when it's good news.
The Hippopotamus: I don't care what they say, a big mouth is an asset.
The Hen: I can't help clucking about my creations.
The Silkworm: I'm all tangled up in my own problems and it's killing me.
The Hornet: I'll leave you alone if you'll leave me alone.
The Stud Pig: I get married every day, but I never need a divorce.
The Centipede: And I thought I'd be able to move faster with all these extra feet!
The Flounder: I grew my eyes on the same side of my head just to make sure I only ever see things from one angle.
The Cow: I bolt down great amounts of roughage and then mull over it slowly.
The Cicada: A lifetime spent in preparation for a "swan song."
The Snail: Bourgeois? Moi? That's a good one. I suppose you think it's fun carrying a house around on your back?
The Baby Mouse: I might be ugly, but my mummy still loves me.
The Parrot: I just say what everyone else does, but I don't have the faintest idea as to what any of it means.
The Cat: I was the first to give myself a good licking.
The Crab: Odd! How is it that people walk straight ahead?
The Whale: An orphan abandoned by ancient history.
The Frog: I'm the one who makes the greatest racket before a storm.
The Blowfish: Eat me and it might be your last supper.
The Rhinoceros: Ho-ho. Just call me an over-sized tortoise.
The Wild Goose: Amidst the sober songs of joy we write the word "humanity" in the sky.
The Oyster: What starts as a slight irritation ends up as a big headache.
The Sparrow: I like practicing my oratory on other people's mistakes.
The Spider: In my superstructure you'll find the remains of many a careless trespasser.
The Grizzly Bear: I can shinny up a tree with great ease, but I always fall back to earth with a thud.
The Toad: Being born so ugly was my big mistake.
The Zebra: My looks are only circumstantial. I'm really not a tiger.
The Looper Caterpillar: A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
The Locust: Even Prince Mengchang is wary of me.
The Silverfish: What, me — no theory? You should just see all the books I've gone through.
The Crow: One peep out of me and people say I've brought them bad luck.
The Otter: The moment a fish mistakes me for a dancer, it's curtains for him.
The Slug: I leave a little of myself wherever I go.
The Clam: Softies like me need a hard shell.
The Hedgehog: What do you mean, I'm too much of an individualist? Why don't you make more of an effort to get me to join in?
The Billy Goat: Okay, so having a beard might not prove that I'm learned, but it sure looks impressive.
The Starfish: A discarded medal left heaving on the beach.
The Tadpole: Being slippery is key to successful passive resistance.
The Giraffe: I'm used to dining at higher levels; I find it irksome to lower myself.